


Tales From the Kingdom

by TypicallyUntypical



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Abuse, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:41:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28423368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TypicallyUntypical/pseuds/TypicallyUntypical
Summary: Three short stories about our favorite boys finding love when it is not so easily found. Some weren't even looking.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders, Logic | Logan Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders
Comments: 4
Kudos: 31





	1. The Imperfections in Your Smile

As always, the sun rising over the kingdom was beautiful. Logan enjoyed being one of the few people moving about the town at this hour. At one time he might have been frustrated by the fact that this was the only time that he got to himself, but it had become a routine at this point, and a routine that included a certain baker’s son.

Clearing his throat, Logan adjusted his tie as he thought about the baker’s son. The man had beautiful blue eyes that shone with excitement, the most gorgeous field of curly blond hair, and a smile that Logan was certain could be considered illegal in certain areas. He was rather surprised that Patton had not yet found himself a wife, someone to help him carry on the shop when his father was gone. Patton was not simply handsome but was one of the kindest people that Logan had ever had the pleasure of meeting.

Their first interaction didn’t go that well, Logan rarely admitted fault but he knew that day he had been a bit heated. It was never a pleasant experience when the Prince decided he simply must have a specialty item for a ball, but had no forethought or planning to make sure that item could be acquired. Logan had scoured the kingdom trying to find anyone who could make the Prince’s special tarts. Patton’s shop had been the last he visited and he might have been a bit snippy when speaking to the figurative ball of sunshine.

Patton had taken it all in stride, slowly melting away Logan’s stress with his happy demeanor. He had promised he could make the tarts and could make them in the quantity that Logan would need. Logan had been skeptical but Patton assured him that everything would turn out fine and that with a little hard work anything was possible.

Logan had not been disappointed, and when he had tried one of the tarts that he had worked so hard to get, Logan fell. Not literally, of course, there was nothing about the tart that threw off his equilibrium. Rather, if you asked Logan, and he felt inclined to answer, he would state that that was when he fell in love with Patton. He wasn’t used to the unabashed kindness, nor was he used to someone who so earnestly put their heart into their job, but there was something about that tart. Logan would never admit it to anyone, but that tart tasted the way that love felt.

After that, visiting Patton became an almost daily occurrence. Logan would seek out the baker in his free time, at first to find some kind of fault with Patton, some reason that he shouldn’t love him. Later it was simply because he wanted to spend time with the man. Logan enjoyed seeing his smile every morning; he enjoyed tasting the treats that Patton would make despite their reduced nutritional value, and he enjoyed seeing Patton. It really was as simple as that.

Recently though, something had been off. Patton’s smile had been different. Logan had brushed it off to any number of factors that he didn’t understand. He, unfortunately, didn’t have an insider look into Patton’s life.

“Good Morning Patton.”

“Oh, Logan, good morning.” There it was again, Patton’s smile didn’t fully reach his eyes like it had once. Instead, his eyes were clouded with something, something Logan could only describe as weariness. “I’m sorry I didn’t make you something special today, but I think you will still like this.” Patton handed him a cinnamon bun in a bag, and Logan could still feel its warmth.

“I am sure anything you have made will be delicious.”

The blush on Patton’s face made Logan want to drink in every feature, each curve of his shy smile, each scrunched line of his eyes, but he froze when his eyes fell on a discoloration. Almost hidden underneath his collar was a dark shadow, but it wasn’t a shadow.

“May I ask, what is that on your neck?”

The blush from Patton’s face faded as he hesitantly reached up to his neck before smiling an unconvincing smile. “Oh this, I just slipped and hit my neck. Thankfully it wasn’t too bad.”

Prince Roman had told Logan that he was too intrusive at times, pointing out things that people didn’t want to be noticed. Logan had tried to get better; he held in his observations. This time, however, was one time when he wouldn’t hold back.

“That bruise is very much shaped like a hand. It does not seem like something you would sustain simply from a slip.”

He saw it in Patton’s eyes, it was a subtle shift but it was something that he understood. Patton didn’t want to talk about it. He was too kind though, he didn’t push Logan away.

“I’m okay Logan, I promise.”

He wanted to push the issue but he heard an angry yell from the back and Patton’s body tensed. “Sorry Lo, I have to go. I hope you have a good day.”

With that Patton, headed to the back, leaving Logan to piece together the situation.

He returned to the castle in a bit of a daze, only to be snapped out of it by the sound of crashing by his head and the feeling of warm blood trickling down his cheek.

“Remus! Look what you’ve done!”

“Normally he has better reflexes!” Despite his words, Logan could hear a bit of concern in Remus’ voice as the two of them ran over to him.

“Seriously, he is right, scholar. Your reflexes are normally better, you good?”

Logan gently felt the injury on his cheek, it wasn’t substantial. “Apologies, your Graces, my mind was otherwise occupied. It seems as if I have sustained minimal injury.”

“Don’t call us that Logan, we have told you, you can use our names.”

“Yeah, I mean, if you are gonna call me any kind of formal title I’d rather you call me daddy, though I could get on board with Sir.” Remus wiggled his eyebrow as he got closer to Logan. He was smiling but there was concern in his eyes as well.

“It is my place to address you properly. Now if you don’t mind, I must clean this.”

“Yeah, yeah, but first, tell us what has that mind buzzing like wasps unleashed on an unsuspecting nudist.”

Logan frowned, but he knew that once Remus was on a topic it was impossible to get him off of it. “I am simply concerned about the health of someone I have been seeing.”

“Wait,” Roman pushed his brother out of the way, “Seeing, like dating? Logan, Logan, Logan! Did you find a date-mate and not tell me?!”

“It is not like that?” Though the blush on his face betrayed him. He honestly thought he had better control over his emotions and his bodies’ response. He was going to continue when Remus launched himself at Roman. Apparently, Roman committed a great sin by shoving his brother out of the way and the two began to fight once again. It, at least, allowed Logan to escape and begin his tasks for the day.

Despite the business of his day, Logan couldn’t get the bruises out of his mind. He was certain that the bruise on Patton’s neck was in the shape of a hand, a larger hand, most likely male but not necessarily. Didn’t Patton live with his father?

No, there was no point in jumping to conclusions without proof, but how was he supposed to get proof when he spent all of his time here in the palace?

Logan spent the entire day trying not to worry but working himself into the same spiral. By the time it was time to go to bed, he was exhausted, and more worried than he was willing to admit. Logan sat on his bed, closing his eyes lightly as he rubbed underneath his glasses.

“Hey, Lo.”

Logan looked up to see Remus standing in the door frame, his normal look of chaos and excitement smoothed.

“You know we are here for you right?”

“Pardon?”

“Ro and I, we don’t care that you're just a political advisor, you are like a brother to us, so we are here for you. If that means that Roman teaches you how to pick up someone, or having me beat someone up, either way.” Remus shrugged a bit.

“Thank you, Remus.” That meant a lot, it honestly did, “But as of right now there is no one to beat up, and I have seen your brother flirt, he is… what did you refer to it as? A disaster gay?”

Remus burst out laughing, nodding vigorously. “I mean, that is completely true, but still. Keep that in mind. If you need me to cut a bitch, I will.”

“Thank you, your grace.”

“Nope, don’t call me that.”

Logan bit his lip before letting out a sigh. “Thank you… asshole.”

Remus lit up with a smile. “Anytime.” He knocked on the wood twice before running off, probably to brag to Roman about being called an asshole. Logan knew that it wasn’t within his right to ask for them to help, but maybe if things got too complicated he could ask the princes to be on his side. Logan had no illusions of being a hero, but he could not see someone who brought so much joy to others, slowly lose their spark.

The next morning, Logan repeated his routine. He left the castle early, enjoying the morning sun, and waiting to see the brightness of Patton’s face. He wasn’t expecting to see Patton come stumbling out of the bakery, tears streaking down his face. “Father, please, no, please don’t do this!” He begged as he pounded on the closed door.

“Patton!” Logan ran to his side, gently putting his hand on Patton’s shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

“Logan? Oh, Logan, I’m so sorry, I’m so so sorry.” He cried before flinging himself into Logan’s arms.

Logan didn’t miss the new bruises on Patton’s face and neck. He noticed them almost immediately and if it weren’t for the fact that Patton was in his arms, depending on him for strength, Logan would not have been able to control his anger.

“I am here Patton, I will protect you. Do you want to tell me what happened or shall we go somewhere more private?”

“I…. he threw me out.”

Logan tensed, pulling Patton in closer. “Why would he do that?”

“I… I…” But Patton shook his head. He couldn’t say it.

“That’s alright, let me take you back to the palace.” He certainly hoped that Remus was serious about what he had said last night because this was not a request he was about to make lightly.

The two of them walked back to the castle and as Logan led him inside he looked around for the princes who were normally arguing already at this point. Somehow he managed to find Remus before Remus found Roman, hopefully, there wouldn’t be a fight because Logan couldn’t handle that right now.

“Prince Remus, I have a favor to ask.” He hurried Patton along with him, still holding him with one arm to provide him comfort. “This is Patton, we spoke about him briefly. He was kicked out of his house this morning and I was wondering if it was possible for him to have employment in the castle.”

“Wait, is this the baker that made those bomb-ass tarts?”

Logan nodded and Remus’ eyes lit up.

“Oh that, that can be arranged. I can talk to Mom, but here’s the only condition, you can’t make any tarts for Roman. Oh, that would make him so mad.”

“What?” Patton asked.

“Nah, he would be a bitch to deal with if we did that, but maybe just deny him occasionally. You can tell him that Remus ordered you not to. That’s fine.”

Patton still looked very confused and Logan decided to try to get back onto the topic. “So, do you believe that you will be able to convince your Mother? I know I am asking a lot.”

“Oh you certainly are, and your punishment will be he sleeps in your room,” Remus smirked, twirling in a circle around him. “I’ll go get it arranged. Bye, Bye Logie.”

Logan was fighting back a blush because Remus was normally very true to his word, but he had to focus on Patton now.

“Logan?”

“Hey, it’s okay Patton, let’s get you cleaned up a bit and resting. I’m sorry if I rushed to my own decision.”

Patton shook his head, “Thank you, thank you so much.”

The soft happiness that hid behind the sadness in his eyes made Logan melt. His arm slid off Patton’s shoulder, gently taking his hand instead and giving it a soft squeeze.

“If I had known you were in a bad situation, I would have tried to help sooner.”

Patton shook his head. “I didn’t want you to know, you already had so much stress on your plate with this job.”

“I understand that now may not be the ideal time for this question, but it would help explain our relationship if the Queen were to ask. Would you like to be my boyfriend?”

It was Patton’s turn to freeze, still holding tightly to Logan’s hand.

“L-Logan… are… are you sure?”

“Extremely so, I was hoping that, if not for these circumstances, I would have gathered the courage to ask you on my own. If you are not interested in me like that it is quite alright. Your comfort and consent are key.”

Patton flung himself at Logan, “Yes, please, thank you. I love you, Logan.” Logan felt Patton stiffen a little as if he wasn’t sure about saying that phrase yet, but Logan brushed past it, gently stroking Patton’s hair.

“You do not have to thank me. I also care for you deeply.” He whispered, holding Patton tight for a little bit longer. They had a rough road ahead of them, but Logan was almost certain it would be alright.


	2. Why Not Both?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remus thinks that marrying for love is stupid. Why miss the opportunity when you could marry for power?

Some people marry for love, in fact, most people marry for love, but Remus thought that was so incredibly boring. He wanted to marry for power, or to piss people off, which is why he was extremely excited when he realized that he could do both. Recently Roman’s advisor, and Remus’ best friend, had brought home a stray who had a very backward father. After all, love was love, what did it matter what gender that love was directed towards? Remus was actually a bit surprised that people like that still existed in his kingdom, surely people with such bitter hearts would have died out already. It didn’t matter much though, Logan’s love sacrifice was safe and Remus now had an exciting plan. He could marry a dashing prince from another kingdom, he could kill two birds with one stone. He would get his power, and he would really piss some people off.

After looking at all of his options, Remus had his sights set on Virgil Nega, Crown Prince of Shadowsky, a kingdom that not only dabbled in magic but used it with the same accuracy as any weapon Remus had in his arsenal. The fact that marrying a magic-user might curb some of the stigmatism in his own kingdom was certainly not his intention, and if his marriage made it easier for Roman to court the dragonkin he had been flirting with for years, then Roman would owe him one. Maybe it would make his brother less annoying.

Remus wiggled in his seat as he pulled out his quill and stationary. There was a lot about Virgil that people didn’t know, including his sexuality, but Remus had seen him a few times and his gay compass was always on point. The problem was that Remus had never tried to seduce someone, and he wasn’t certain that Virgil would appreciate his advances.

Then again, Remus had never been one for subtlety or lying. Not that he cared when other people lied but he found that the hard honest truth was always so much more entertaining. He was just going to be upfront and honest with Prince Virgil. Remus began to scribble his letter, he would have Logan check it before he sent it, just to make sure it was fancy enough. Logan was the only one not being judgemental about this.

Roman kept reminding Remus that he had the opportunity to marry for love and he should take it, but that wasn’t what Remus wanted. Patton was trying to be supportive but he could see the sad look that the fluff ball gave him every time his plan was mentioned. Logan, hard to shake, always solid Logan took it in stride. Logan was willing to go with Remus' weird scheme, often telling him all of the weird details that he should be careful about, which Remus loved, but he never stopped Remus. That was why Logan was his best friend.

“Logan!” Remus shouted after he finished writing his letter. Even if Logan wasn’t nearby, Remus knew one of the servants would go fetch him. It might take a bit longer though so Remus read over the letter one more time. He was not the type of person to get nervous but he really wanted this. The relationship would be very good for the country and Remus would get to know more about cool magic things and the weird shit it could do.

“What is it, Prince Remus?”

“Well Daddy,” Remus hated it when Logan addressed him so formally, and Logan hated it when Remus called him Daddy. “I need you to read this and tell me if it is convincing enough.” He handed the letter over to Logan who took it with a slight frown on his face.

“There is a lot in this letter that is very useful when propositioning marriage, but I think we can make a few adjustments.”

Logan helped him rewrite the letter and then they sent it off to Shadowsky.

For the next few weeks, Remus was a bit off. He was impatient. Time was moving by so slowly and Roman’s absolute refusal to admit that he had someone he wanted to court was just irritating. Remus might have locked Logan in a closet with Patton for a little bit, just to relieve his boredom. He might have felt bad about it too if it weren’t for the fact that Patton was asleep in Logan’s arms by the time he let them out of the closet. He had earned a stern look from Logan, but it was totally worth it.

When the return letter finally came Remus could barely contain his excitement, wanting to crawl out of his skin. He shredded it open and was greeted by a few short sentences.

“I will be there in a week’s time. If it seems our kingdoms could benefit from an alliance, and if you will agree to a nonexclusive marriage, I will accept.”

That was more than Remus could hope for. “LOGAN!” This time Logan was right next to him and there was no reason to shout, but it was funny. “He said yes, I mean sort of, but he said yes!” Remus leaned back in his chair, kicking his legs, looking at Logan as he teetered on the edge, almost falling out of the chair.

“He’s gonna be here in a week. I have to impress him!”

“It is my personal belief that you need to do no such thing. He has said yes to the proposal which was mostly written by yourself. You should be upfront and honest with him as is your natural state.”

“But I want to impress him,” Remus whined.

“Very well, tell me what you need of me.”

A bright smile crossed Remus’ face and he began to tell Logan exactly what he needed.

The week was hectic for the pair, Remus barely fought with his brother, and when they did fight it was over Remus taking up too much of Logan’s time. Those fights didn’t end well as Remus normally told Roman to go fuck his snake boy and his brother would blush and curse at Remus before storming off. After everything was over he would have to apologize, something Remus rarely ever did.

“Can you die of nervousness?”

“I believe there is some research suggesting that it is possible to die during a bout of extreme stress, I do not believe the level of stress you are currently experiencing is cause for concern.” Logan stood by Remus’ side, his hands folded behind his back.

“I wonder what that would feel like, not being able to breathe, your mind going blank.”

Logan reached out and put a hand on Remus’ shoulder, attempting to avoid the puffy material of his sleeves to not crumple it. Remus had had this outfit specially made for today. “You are a creative and spontaneous prince, remember your strengths and you will do fine.”

Lightly, Remus nodded, and the doors to the entryway began to open.

“Introducing, Crown Prince Virgil Nega of Shadowsky.” The man that walked in was shorter than Remus imagined in his head, his shoulders were slumped and his eyes darted around a bit before finally landing on Remus. When their eyes connected Virgil stood up straight, revealing himself to be about an inch taller than Remus, and his violet eyes swirled with magic and power that Remus had never seen. He had no control over his words.

“Damn…” He muttered, causing the other prince to smirk, slowly making his way over.

“Thank you for the invitation, Prince Remus, I was happy to accept, but I would like to point out that I am not easily won over. Though, the flattery is a nice touch.”

“Oh, you like that, well I’m sure I could find some other compliments, like how hot that ass looks in those pants.”

At that Virgil’s face began to turn a deep shade of cherry red, and Remus couldn’t help but think about all of Vigil’s blood flowing to his cheeks, the way his heart pumped it around his body and Remus was too distracted to realize he had stood and made his way over to Virgil.

“You sure talk a lot,” Virgil whispered, snapping Remus back to the present.

“That’s not all my mouth is good for.”

“Are you just a walking innuendo?”

“Of course not, I also run.”

Virgil smirked again, almost snorting, and Remus held out his arm, transfixed by the black hair that was hiding those violet eyes from him. He wasn’t sure if he liked the ink like strands, or if they were only a distraction from the true prize. Either way, he had made a good choice, and if his weapon sugar daddy could also be a trophy husband, who was he to complain?

“Let me show you around.”

“Certainly, but save the bedroom for last.”

“Well, you are decidedly no fun.”

It only took that one day. One day of flirting and teasing. One day of showing Virgil around and learning about him. It only took Remus one day to realize that he could probably fall in love with Virgil. He briefly wondered if that was a betrayal of his original purpose, but he was still marrying for power, why couldn’t it just be both?


	3. The Iron Wall Between Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prince Roman has been slowly falling in love with a criminal, or at least, that's what society calls him. But the only crime Janus can really be convicted of his stealing Roman's heart.

Roman was enchanted. He wanted to believe that this wasn’t a spell, but he couldn’t be certain. He had never felt like this before. Never had his eyes been drawn to a person so adamantly, but how could he look away? For more than a decade, Roman had been coming to this cell, getting to know this prisoner. They talked, they flirted, and it was supposed to all be harmless. How could it be though? Janus was everything that Roman wanted. He was crafty and dramatic, but there was a side of him that was kind and gentle. It helped that Janus was also easy on the eyes. He moved with such grace and precision, his gloved hands worked at the flowers and herbs in his garden. Janus had lovingly tended them for years and the blooms were almost as beautiful as he was.

“You are starring, Your Highness.”

“Psh, wh- no, I’m not…” Their eyes connected and Roman felt his heart speed up. Some people would say that Janus was handsome in spite of his scales but Roman would put no such modifier on it. Janus was handsome. His hair was dark ebony that had grown long in his isolation, and his scales glittered green and gold like the sun on a spring meadow. “A prince does not stare.” They both knew that was a lie. This was not the first time Roman had been caught staring, and it wouldn’t be the last.

“Of course not, then you are investigating me for some reason? I fear that I live a rather dreadfully boring life, Prince Roman.” Janus began to walk closer to him, his body sliding along the grass like a serpent coming to devour him. “My days are filled with gardening and questions from a myriad of investigators.” The look on Janus’ face was not one of a prisoner, but rather of a warden, looking down on one he had captured. He put his hands on the fence that separated him from the prince, the only real person who had ever come to visit him. “I have not gone beyond these iron walls since we first met. So what are you investigating?”

Roman swallowed hard as his heart rate increased. He felt his palms beginning to sweat and Roman felt like he had lost his words. How was Janus so amazingly calm?

“Is there something I’m being accused of?” His voice was calm, and smooth, his mismatched eyes peering into Roman’s soul. It ripped the words from his mouth. Words that weren’t meant to be heard.

“You're accused of theft, namely, my heart.” His voice was soft, quiet, almost like a dream. Like this was something Roman had whispered to himself a million times in the quiet of his room.

And the world stopped.

Roman realized where he was and jerked from the iron fence like he had been shocked by lightning. Janus’ eyes were blown wide in surprise and Roman was frozen at the words that were never meant to leave his mouth. He had spent years thinking about the times he had spent with Janus, thinking about the relationship they had forged.

It had started antagonistically. Roman had been young, and he had blamed the son of the dragon witch for the loss of his father. He had needed someone to take his anger, and Janus took it in stride. He had never allowed Roman to just snowball over him. He had always forced Roman to reexamine what he was saying, and the day when Roman broke, when anger faded into grief, Janus had offered him kind and sympathetic words, despite the weeks of abuse. They bonded in a sense of sadness that neither could find the words to express.

Roman had always known he would be a hopeless romantic, but he hadn’t expected to slip so quickly. Before Roman realized what had happened, he knew he couldn’t live without Janus. He had fallen in love with the man behind the fence, the way he moved, the way he talked. Roman couldn’t imagine loving another, but that didn’t mean he needed to know.

“Apologies, that simply slid out.” Roman took a step back, hiding his shaking hands behind his back. He watched as Janus’ fingers reached out to touch the detailing of the iron fence. A beautiful prison wall that kept the two separated.

“There is no need to apologize, Prince, you are allowed to love me.” Although there was a smirk on his lips, there was something else in his eyes. Fear? Love? Roman couldn’t tell. Whatever it was, it was unattainable. Roman couldn’t allow himself to fall further for those eyes.

Janus opened up his mouth. He had more to say. There was something on his lips, but Roman couldn’t bear to hear it. Not when Janus was behind bars, when there was a wall between them. He knew he couldn’t handle what those words might be.

“No, I don't believe I am.”

Janus’ smirk faded and Roman turned around to walk away, his cheeks flamed with soft desire and disappointment. Even if Remus was betrothed to a man of magic, his circumstances were different. Roman was in love with a criminal who was wrongly accused, a man dragged down by the sins of his mother. Roman was in love, with the unattainable.

He quickly walked back to the castle, leaving his world behind him and an iron wall.

“Patton,” Roman called as he entered the kitchen, looking at his new favorite cook. “I am in need of your famous tarts, now… please.”

“Oh kiddo, has it already been that kind of day? No worries, I’ll get those tarts started.” Patton had been living with them in the castle for almost a year now so he wasn’t necessarily a new cook but he was the newest cook in the kitchen. He was escaping from a bad situation that Roman hoped Patton would never have to face again.

“It is just a bit frustrating.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

It was only the two of them, otherwise, he was sure Patton would have spoken to him much more formally. He used to even when they were alone but it was a lot easier to break him of that habit than it had been to break Logan of it.

“I don’t know.” Roman hoisted himself up on one of the counters easily.

“Does this have to do with the dragon prisoner?”

“Wha- psh... Why-” He caught Patton giving him ‘that’ look. “Okay, maybe, how did you even know?”

“Prince Remus comes in here a lot to complain about you while asking me to make bread in weird shapes. Well, he used to complain, now he mostly just gushes over Prince Virgil.” Patton smiled softly as he began working on the crust for the tarts. “Love is so sweet.”

“Of course he told you. My brother has no filter and no idea how to keep a secret.” Roman groaned and rolled his eyes. “It’s just… Janus is a criminal… or at the very least dangerous.”

“I mean, but is he?”

“What?”

“I don’t fully get the context, but he was… is caged?” It was obvious Patton wasn’t certain about that. “Because his mom was dangerous right? But Remus said he doesn’t think…. What’s his name, because Remus calls him a bunch of things that I don’t think are his name.”

“Janus.”

“Thank you. Remus doesn’t think Janus is dangerous. Then again, Remus doesn’t think pit vipers are dangerous, but Janus has never done anything, right?”

“Not that we know of.”

“So then, he really isn’t a criminal, he hasn’t committed a crime.”

Roman bit his lip and nodded. “Yes, but mother doesn’t see it that way.”

“The queen is probably just trying to protect her people and you.” Patton began putting the tarts in the oven which always kept the kitchen warm. “I don’t think it’s wrong for you to love Janus though, and if he loves you back, isn’t that okay? If he isn’t really a criminal then he really hasn’t done anything wrong.”

“But what would my mother think?”

“The Queen obviously loves you, I don’t… I mean I think...” Patton played with the edge of his apron and Roman remembered how Patton’s father treated him.

Roman’s mother wouldn’t hurt him; Roman was never afraid of that. What was he afraid of? Was he afraid that Janus didn’t actually love him? That it was all a manipulation because so many people had tried to manipulate him in the past. Roman didn’t want it to be a manipulation. He wanted to be loved back. It hadn’t seemed like manipulation though, maybe the flirtatious words were sometimes, but not the tears. It couldn’t be manipulation the days that Janus bore his soul for Roman. It couldn’t, right?

The two were silent as Roman sorted through his emotions and finally Patton walked up, holding out a tart. “I can say from experience if you love him, it’s worth pursuing.” He had a soft smile on his face and a dreamy look in his eyes. That was a look that Roman saw anytime Logan and Patton were together, it was a deep-seated adoration. Roman wanted that so much.

“It is really worth everything,” Patton whispered.

Roman could feel the swell of emotions radiating off of Patton. He could feel how happy being with Logan made Patton and Roman could take a chance based on that alone. “Thank you.” Roman took a bite of his tart, because he had an idea now, but it wasn’t an idea that was going to be easy. He jumped off the counter and began to make his way out, grabbing one more tart. It burned his mouth a little bit but it was totally worth it. Patton baked with love and he could taste it in every bite.

It gave him the courage to walk up to his mother’s office, but it didn’t get him the courage to knock on the door. Instead, his hand hovered over the wood before he started pacing, questioning his decision. He wanted to ask for this, but was it even possible? He ran a hand through his hair, messing it up just a bit as he looked at her door.

He was startled when his mother opened her door, looking at him surprised. “Roman, darling, is everything okay?” Her voice was soft and comforting.

“I want to marry Janus.” He covered his mouth because for the second time today he spoke before he had sorted out his thoughts and he saw the confusion and concern light up his mother’s face.

She gestured for him to come into the office and he slowly walked in, trying to take in a deep breath. This wasn’t what he had wanted, or more specifically how he had meant for it to go. He could still salvage this though. He just needed to find a way to explain it.

She closed the door behind the two of them and Roman just immediately sprung into talking.

“I am not expecting you to release him. I understand why you are worried about releasing him into the community, both for his own safety and for the safety of others if he turns out to be like his mother, but I trust him. He hasn’t actually done anything wrong, we have no proof that he is evil, but I have spent time getting to know him. You really should get to know him.”

His mother had remained quiet, looking at him as he rambled. “I won’t say that I am surprised. You have visited more often than I would expect anyone to visit a prisoner, but why that one? I did promise you that you could marry anyone that your heart chose, but why him?”

“Because he understands. I… I don’t know how to explain it other than that. I…. you would like him, mom, if you got to know him. He is smart like Logan, but he is just a little bit sassy and sarcastic. He can be suave but also soft. He has this knack for knowing exactly what someone needs to take care of themselves and… I just…. I just know mom.” Roman dramatically flopped onto the couch in the office and closed his eyes.

“You really love him don’t you sweetheart?” She sat down next to his head, slowly running her hands through his hair. “I can’t have you just marry this boy without properly courting him. So, what do you propose?”

“Let me live with him, let me prove to the people he isn’t dangerous.”

“And what if he is?”

“I… I think love might be worth it.”

“I won’t let you live with him immediately, but maybe, with some supervision, you can spend time with him without the wall.” She said, pulling an iron key out of her desk. “You may use this, but only if you take your brother and Prince Virgil with you.”

“Ew… no! Mom don’t make me go on a double date with those two.”

“Nope, that’s my condition. Virgil has magic so I can trust he will help protect you and if something happens I know Remus will bite Janus's ankles.”

“Mom!” Roman whined but she hugged him and blew raspberry kisses on his cheek.

“I want to make sure you are safe my little prince.”

Roman squirmed and laughed. “Fine, but only until you trust that he won’t hurt me.”

“Fair enough.” She handed him the key, before hugging her son. “I love you, Roman.”

Roman smiled, “I love you too,” and as he looked down at the key in his hand. Maybe love for him wasn’t unattainable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this short story. I started with the first chapter, and I just couldn't help myself but write all three. I might have posted them all separately if it wasn't for the fact that they kind of reference each other and should be read one after another, but it doesn't much matter!
> 
> If you would like to come hang out and talk about stories, or if you want to help be a beta reader come join my discord! https://discord.gg/3bP9mYbhje


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